The S&P 500 climbed to a fresh record high this week, powered by new data showing inflation is cooling—developments that, together with the previous week’s weak jobs report, further raise the odds the Federal Reserve holds interest rates steady at its next meeting.
Aiding the positive market sentiment for equities was a wave of strong earnings from AI-infrastructure companies that added to investor interest in stocks.
By Friday’s market close, the Dow Jones Industrial Average stood at 53,732, down 0.56 percent for the week. The S&P 500 finished the week up 0.36 percent at 7,785 after touching its record high on Thursday. The Nasdaq edged up 0.14 percent, while the small-cap Russell 2000 jumped 1.12 percent….